Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has recently established the Mobile Devices Identification, Registration and Blocking Regulations System (DIRBS) to make sure that, all over the country, stolen and blocked phones, as well as phones with duplicate or non-standard identifiers, are blocked.

The DIRBS system will be formally launched by PTA in a ceremony on Thursday. This event shall also celebrate the 50 million mobile broadband subscribers’ milestone achieved by PTA.

The system has primarily been introduced to protect mobile phone users’ data across the country. DIRBS will ensure that non-compliant mobile device are not imported, sold, marketed or connected with the mobile operators’ networks in the country.

It shall also ensure that mobile licensees actively identify such phones on their networks and maintain and update an industry-wide database containing information about such phones, so that the mobile services sector worldwide could benefit from it. The regulations for the system are notified under the Telecommunications Policy of 2015 on the type approval regime for telecommunications.

PTA also prescribes standard operating procedures (SOPs) for its implementation on technical, management and operational matters. All mobile phones which are either stolen, blocked, and with duplicate or non-standard identifiers shall be blocked by the mobile network operator (MNO) from use in Pakistan.

The Working Procedure

The DIRBS already has the necessary hardware and software to implement the system for analysis. It will mainly consist of a core analysis system combined with sub-systems to support verification of IMEIs by stakeholders, registration of IMEI paired exceptions, and import of various inputs including operator device data dumps, GSMA device database, importer device lists, and stolen device lists. The system will perform the analysis for identification and tracking of all non-compliant mobile phones in accordance with these regulations.

A device verification system interface will also be provided by the PTA to type approval holders and authorized distributors for registration and identification of IMEI displayed on the mobile device to verify whether or not the device is a compliant mobile device which has received certification of compliance for technical standards for IMEI devices from the PTA.

Devices imported and shipped in accordance with sub-regulation (2) will be eligible for registration. All Individuals importing or carrying a device or devices for personal use will be required to apply for a certification of compliance. These shall be issued by the PTA in accordance with the PTA guidelines and SOPs issued from time to time, as well as the PTA type-approval regulations, to become eligible for registration of the mobile devices.

All non-compliant mobile devices will be included in the blacklist by means of the DIRBS system. Updated blacklist, exception list and notification list will be provided by means of the DIRBS to MNOs at regular intervals. The blacklist will be shared with all MNOs periodically, through the DIRBS interface. All mobile devices whose IMEIs are included in the latest blacklist from DIRBS will be blocked from mobile communication services by the MNOs.

Any blacklisted mobile device will not be activated except for lost/stolen and type approved devices which are first verified by the MNO and DIRBS in accordance with the SOP approved by the authority. Mobile subscribers may report their lost or stolen mobile devices and get them blocked on the MNO helpline.

Subscribers will get the chance to prove the authenticity of their duplicated IMEI device(s) and get them blocked, by submitting valid documents to the PTA and they get services restored through pairing, if the device is ascertained to be compliant after scrutiny of the submitted documents to the PTA. Furthermore, mobile device licensees will become members of the International Mobile Equipment Identity Database (IMEI DB, formerly the CEIR) operated by the GSMA, or others as applicable. Mobile licensees will include countries that are the source of a large number of stolen devices bought into Pakistan in their IMEI DB notification profile.

The Responsibilities of Mobile Operators

All MNOs will be required to carry out extensive media campaigns through SMS broadcasts, at their own cost, to inform and educate mobile subscribers for the requirement to verify the validity of the mobile devices in their use and also of the procedure for verification of mobile devices available for sale/purchase, using the field verification system of DIRBS.

The MNOs, authorized dealers and type approval holders shall establish an efficient methodology to receive process and respond promptly to complaints by subscribers regarding their devices. They shall ensure all reasonable efforts to resolve complaints in accordance with the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2009.

Mobile operators will be required to not disclose the contents of any data being transmitted or received from DIRBS. It must remain under their control except to the extent permitted by the PTA in writing or through any regulation/instruction/directive.

MNOs shall undertake all necessary measures to safeguard the databases from unauthorized interception or unauthorized access. All type approval holders/authorized distributors/ OEMs shall provide accurate information of type approved devices for the issuance of the certification of compliance to technical standards for IMEI devices in order to maintain the updated list of IMEI numbers of devices in the DIRB system.

All mobile subscribers who are using non-compliant mobile devices will get intimations sent to them from PTA.